by Steve Hays
in ePub, .mobi & .pdf formats
Steve Hays' Renewing the Imagination is a compelling exploration of the intersection between Christian faith and creative expression. This book considers how the Christian imagination is both influenced by and influences various forms of art, literature, and media, including nature, poetry, novels, movies, and even video games. Hays masterfully examines this cross-pollination, presenting a rich tapestry of references from Milton’s Paradise Lost to C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, and beyond.
The book is structured into numerous essays, each exploring different aspects of this interplay. Highlights include "Echoes of Eden," which looks at the representation of paradise in literature and art, and "The Christian Frame Tale," where Hays discusses the theological implications of narrative structures that mirror the Christian worldview. Other notable essays analyze the works of Lewis, Tolkien, and other authors, emphasizing their roles as mythmakers and their contributions to the Christian literary tradition.
What makes Renewing the Imagination particularly engaging is Hays' ability to weave together scholarly analysis with a deep appreciation for the arts. His insights are both profound and accessible, making this book a must-read for anyone interested in understanding how faith and creativity can enrich each other. Whether you are a theologian, a lover of literature, or simply someone seeking to deepen your understanding of the Christian imagination, this book offers valuable perspectives that will inspire and challenge you to see the world through a renewed lens.
-----
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Eden
From Ash Wednesday to the Four Quartets
The Christian frame tale
Lewis: Christian mythmaker
The wood between the worlds
Myth and magic in The Chronicles of Narnia
Dawn Treader
The Magician's Nephew
Touring Perelandra
Merlin in That Hideous Strength
Out of the wardrobe
Flight from normality
Theophany
Milton's flawed masterpiece
Paradise Lost
Racine
The Tempest
The Divine comedy
The Song of Roland
Bunyan
Lord of the Rings
Cordwainer Smith
Types of fiction
Scripture and commentary
God in the coma
Ship in a bottle
Dust motes from heaven
In retrospect
Music, dreams, and architecture
Ersatz heaven
A lifetime at the movies
All our yesterdays
"Marvel movies aren't cinema"
The Western
Recovering lost opportunities
Harsh Realm
Oh the horror!
A good movie in a bad movie
Film noir hell
Interpretive levels
Heroes and villains
A flawed masterpiece
The aesthetics of evil
Source Code
The Ninth Gate
Tron 2
Tombstone
Was blind but now I see
Merlin
Inception
Rubicon
Into the Wild
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God
Pandora
Where the Wild Things Are
Knowing
The zombie apocalypse
Let Me In
The Hunger
Wolves, werewolves, and demons
Vampirism, original sin, and redemption
Evolution of the vampire mythos
Monsters
I Am Legend
Pumpkinhead
Tragicomedy
What makes some women glorious?
Beowulf
Interplanetary politics
The Wonderful Visit
What makes the LOTR movies better than the Narnia movies?
Why Lewis wrote fiction
Films for boys
Kitschy flicks